Surface Pro 4 battery drain while OFF

Anonymous
2017-07-05T14:02:24+00:00

I have a HUGE battery drain while power off (not hibernating)  at least 5-10 percent per day.   I windows updates done.   I used to think it was because of the keyboard being attached. but I have switched to a Brydge Keyboard.  Does anyone else have this issue or know how to fix?

Thanks!

Surface | Surface Pro | Power and battery

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2017-08-04T04:59:28+00:00

Thanks Victor_S

Another solution I've found is to shut down the computer the old way - regular shutdown instead of hybrid shutdown.

You can use this shortcut:

C:\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe /s /t 3 /c "Full Shutdown"

  • shutdown.exe can execute the various sleed/hibernate commands, including the regular shutdown.
  • /s means "shutdown". If we shutdown the normal way, it is a hybrid shutdown (/hybrid)
  • /t 3 means after 3 seconds. If you skip this it's 30 seconds by default.
  • /c "Full shutdown" is a simple comment that will appear in various places as the reason for your shutdown.

Keep in mind it takes a little longer to shutdown this way, and it takes a little longer to start afterwards, but I think the computer doesn't keep some systems active, thus you should see almost no battery drain, even for prolonged times.

Was this answer helpful?

8 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2017-07-05T14:59:17+00:00

That is a good question because the screen will be off.  Before shutting down and all programs are closed, you can do a CTRL+ALT+DEL and select the task manager and look at the processes that are still running at that moment and you may find 'something' but doubtful.

The power sub-system could also have a defect causing that as well and not actually shutting off the machine when it is supposed to be off.

The task manager may give you a clue when all programs are shut down.  If you can't find anything listed, it is possible you may need to contact customer support to get the machine swapped out.

Was this answer helpful?

2 people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

300 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2018-10-31T12:06:59+00:00

    We have been asking this for a LONG time!!   Microsoft has no interest in fixing it!!  My SP4 is now a desktop only PC that I leave plugged in all the time.   I purchase another brand of laptop... It performs wonderfully!  I  suggest you do the same.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2018-11-08T18:53:34+00:00

    We have been asking this for a LONG time!!   Microsoft has no interest in fixing it!!  My SP4 is now a desktop only PC that I leave plugged in all the time.   I purchase another brand of laptop... It performs wonderfully!  I  suggest you do the same.

    I ended up purchasing a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 3rd Gen Tablet to replace my Surface Pro 4.  With my SP4, when off of the charger, the battery would lose 10-20% of it's charge per 24-hour period with the power settings I have on there and with putting the SP4 into hibernation.  But when exporting those same power settings from the SP4 and then importing them to the Thinkpad X1 via the POWERCFG command, when putting the unit into hibernation, the charge level it had when going into hibernation is the charge level it has when starting it up 24 hours later when off of the charger during that time.  Plus unlike the Surface Pro units, the Thinkpad X1 is designed as such that if you need to replace the battery, you can remove the back cover and perform the needed service.  I'm very happy with this purchase.  Microsoft has lost my business, and they didn't have to if they had only addressed this battery discharge issue sufficiently and satisfactorily.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2018-12-30T10:03:28+00:00

    I seem to have cured this behaviour on my SP4, on the latest build of Win10 - 1809.

    I used the registry change previously mentioned, but after a reboot I then changed it back to retain full sleep functionality (one of the main reasons for having a tablet after all).

    No more power drain when actually shut down, it does still drain on sleep obviously.

    Hope this helps some others.

    Open Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power

    Set the csenabled key to zero (0)

    Reboot

    Set csenabled to one (1)

    Reboot again

    That's it - solved my problem. 100% remaining after 18 hours powered off, before this it would have been <90%

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments